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Report on Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, 2005

Sent in Mar. 23, 2005 from Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.

I am typing this from the Internet cafe at the Kingdom
Hotel/Casino in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, outrageously
priced at $20 per hour, but paid in black-market Zimbabwe
Dollars (US$=12,000 to 15,000 Z$) it is only $10 per hour
(140,000 Z$; you can get the same dial-up in town for
(60,000 Z$).  I am staying at the Shoestrings Hostel near
town center.

I just booked a 21-day overland tour with Africa Travel
(www.africatravelco.co.uk) from here to Nairobi, to start
on Mar. 27, to end on Apr. 16, with 3-day add-on to Masai
Mara, OR 14-day tour to Gorillas in Uganda, Rwanda, or
Congo.  I will NOT take the latter, as I found that
component pricey and I rather leave the gorillas live their
lives without glancing at humans.  (They allow up to 30
groups per day. Imagine!)  As soon as I am done here, I
will walk up to Mama Africa Restaurant and have a combo
elephant, ostrich, and Kroc. fillet.  I might NOT be able
to send another email until we stop at such a place.

SALLY, you want to do this tour too, so let me give you
some info that others can use too.  Fly to South Africa and
start from there.  The difference between So. Africa and
the rest of black Africa is day and night.  It will be
safer to start from there and it will be safer to return
from there.  I compared lots of travel agencies and finally
decided for the agency above, thus dropping the Nomad
people I have been dealing with.  The reasons are several:
highly recommended by several tour people, it is $150
cheaper, follows a more interesting route, includes ferry
to Zanzibar (Nomad does not), and has the option to add for
free the 3-day Masai Mara.  All else the same.  However,
under no circumstances take a bus from So. Africa to
Zimbabwe.  Unbelievably difficult, as you will change buses
either in Harare or Bulawayo.  I did the latter and the 3-4
hour ride turned into a 9-hour ordeal, with bus going to a
filthy repair station with passengers aboard, blowing a
piston 100 km into the journey, and then collapsing
entirely in the middle of nowhere at 100+ F heat.  When the
next bus, already full-full, stopped and picked us our
people, we were worse than sardines in the can.  Then
imagine a woman with hefty hips, with a baby strapped to
her back and 3 more in front of her, the woman also
carrying a crib-size bag, a smaller one, and a plastic
barrel (true!) trying to get off at some stop in the middle
of nowhere, to be replaced with 2 of the same.  Just too
many babies, folks.  The cute faces now are the prostitutes
and hustlers and muggers of tomorrow, of which there are
endless numbers now at every bus station, etc..  So
instead, fly from Johannesburg or Cape directly to Victoria
Falls, since you want to go north to Nairobi, or start at
Cape for the 42-day tour to same destination.  Check the
prices and departure and arrival dates, options, etc. on
their web site.  Dont forget, you have to fly back to South
Africa to return to USA, UNLESS you can arrange flight to
So. Africa and return from Nairobi with the same airline. 
I paid $1300 including all options, which I will decide
along the way.

1. Johannesburg to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Returned from Maputo
to Johannesburg by Intercape Bus lines, more personable
than Greyhound.  Then took the 8pm--departed at
8:27pm--Pioneer Bus from Johannesburg to Bulawayo,
Zimbabwe.  The ride cost me 180 Rands, as compared to 440
for Greyhound, because it is on an older bus and the line
is used by the locals.  I was the only white person on
board, and at places we stopped.  I alerted the bus driver
that there might be a delay as I got my visa to Zimbabwe. 
Indeed, everything went smoothly; I had my visa in 5
minutes without any hints of a bribe.  So all those
contingencies I had in mind in case I was kept there, as it
seemed into Mozambique, vanished.  12 hours later I arrived
in Bulawayo.  I decided to continue to Victoria Falls
immediately.

2. The bus from Bulawayo to Victoria Falls (both in
Zimbabwe) was the WORST bus ride I have ever had anywhere
anytime.  It is run by KK (African name), green, graveyard
buses.  (See above.)

3. Victoria Falls? I give it a rating 10.  Wait till post
the photos.  Best seen from the VF National Park, $20 entry
fee.  You will get wet from spray, like deluge in parts. 
It is walking distance from hostel; turn left at Wimpies,
walk a km, entry on your left.  Ask locals for all other
places. Small town, but everything you need is there, incl.
food delivery.

4. The official exchange rate versus the black-market rate
is so large that everyone exchanges US$ with someone not
official.  Do NOT under any circumstances exchange on the
street; do with the help of hostel, or you WILL get ripped
off with bad Z$, and might get arrested besides.  Use US $
where you can its value in black-market rate, or use Z$.

Next report when I get a chance.

Sirman